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Women’s Worlds Preview: Canada vs. Czechia

Monday, April 14 | 1 p.m. ET | Ceske Budejovice, Czechia | Preliminary Round

Shannon Coulter
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April 13, 2025
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GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. CZECHIA (APRIL 14)

After a loss against the United States yesterday, Canada’s National Women's Team returns to the ice on Monday to face host Czechia in the final game of the preliminary round at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Last Game

Always the marquee matchup of the preliminary round, Canada dropped a 2-1 decision to the United States for its first loss of the tournament. The Americans held a 2-0 lead after two periods before Laura Stacey scored on a breakaway to cut the lead in half. Ann-Renée Desbiens made 26 saves in goal.

The Czechs dropped their second game in Group A on Saturday, losing 4-2 to Finland. Tereza Vanisova gave Czechia a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, but Finland responded with four unanswered goals before Kristyna Kaltounkova scored with just over two minutes remaining. Klara Peslarova made 24 saves.

Last Meeting

Canada and Czechia last met in the 2024 Women’s Worlds semifinals, with the Canadians blanking the Czechs 4-0 on their way to a 13th gold medal. Blayre Turnbull kicked off the scoring 4:32 into the game, with Jocelyne Larocque giving Canada a 2-0 lead after the first period. Emily Clark and Sarah Fillier rounded out the scoring, while Ann-Renée Desbiens made nine saves for the shutout.

What to Watch

Line chemistry in short international tournaments is important, and the Canadians have the benefit of utilizing the Montréal Victoire’s top line on an international stage. Jenn Gardiner, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey are the top three scorers for the first-place Victoire, combining for31 goals and 59 points. In three games in Ceske Budejovice, all three are top-10 in scoring and have combined for five goals and 14 points with a combined +17. Poulin has a goal and five assists, putting her atop the tournament scoring list and within shouting distance of a trio of all-time scoring records (more on that below).

The Czechs have some young talent emerging this season. Natalie Mlynkova—Chloe Primerano’s teammate at the University of Minnesota—notched 16 goals and 34 points in her fifth NCAA season, while 18-year-old Adela Sapovalivova recorded 15 goals and 36 points with MoDo in the Swedish women’s league. Kristyna Kaltounkova is making her debut on the senior team after becoming the first Czech player to be named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award and leads the Czechs in the tournament with two goals.

Milestone Watch

Poulin has a few major marks in her sights. She needs five more goals to surpass Jayna Hefford as Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and three more assists and four more points to take over from Hayley Wickenheiser atop those categories.

In goal, Desbiens is even with Swiss netminder Florence Schelling for the most in Women’s Worlds history (21).

And keep an eye on a few more games-played milestones on the blue line; Erin Ambrose is set to reach 100 appearances in her Team Canada career when she takes the ice today, while Jocelyne Larocque is four shy of becoming the first defender to reach 200 games.

A Look Back

These two teams have a relatively new history at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. They have only met three times— once in Brampton in 2023 and twice at last year’s championship.

All-time record: Canada leads 3-0-0
Canada goals: 14
Czechia goals: 1

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

emadziya@hockeycanada.ca 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

ssharkey@hockeycanada.ca

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

jknight@hockeycanada.ca

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